1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an absorbent article including sanitary napkin, disposable diaper, urine absorbing pad and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to an absorbent article which has a superior liquid absorption capacity and gives less discomfort that will be caused by contact between the bodily waste absorbed therein and the wearer's skin.
2. Description of the Related Art
Absorbent articles such as sanitary napkin are generally constructed to include a liquid-impermeable backsheet, an absorbent layer laid on it, and a liquid-permeable topsheet covering the absorbent layer. A menstrual blood as bodily waste passes through the topsheet and is retained by the absorbent layer.
When the absorbent article of this kind is attached to the wearer's body, it is required to prevent a liquid, which cannot be absorbed by the absorbent layer, from leaking outwardly beyond side edges of the absorbent article. In order to improve the wearing feel, it is also required to prevent the bodily waste once absorbed by the absorbent layer from oozing to the surface of the topsheet and coming into contact with the wearer's skin as much as possible
In order to prevent the lateral leakage of the bodily waste beyond the side edges of the absorbent article, there has been developed an absorbent article having a nonwoven web disposed between the body fluid absorbent pad (absorbent layer) and the topsheet. In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H7-500759 (500759/1995), for example, there is disclosed an absorbent material having a nonwoven web between the liquid absorbent pad and the liquid-permeable topsheet.
In the absorbent material disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Publication, the nonwoven web is provided with a screen pattern having high fiber density portions being oriented mainly in the longitudinal direction of the liquid absorbent pad. Therefore, a bodily waste having passed through the topsheet is diffused mainly in the longitudinal direction along the high density portions of the nonwoven web, thereby preventing the lateral leakage of the liquid.
As set forth above, the Patent Publication discloses an invention in which the nonwoven web is disposed between the topsheet and the liquid absorbent pad in order to diffuse the bodily waste mainly in the longitudinal direction of the liquid absorbent pad for absorption by the liquid absorbent pad. However, in this absorbent material having the nonwoven web mainly for liquid diffusion, there still remains a problem that when a pressure is applied from the wearer's skin, a liquid, which is not absorbed by the liquid absorbent pad but remains diffused in the nonwoven web, oozes to the surface of the topsheet and adheres to the wearer's skin again, giving discomfort due to wet feel to the wearer.